Continuing our series on the study of Bible doctrine, we've been looking at the doctrine of the Church. We are here again, Matthew 28, verses 18-20. This message is number 61 in that series. And the title of this message is Teaching Disciples. Matthew chapter 28, beginning with verse number 18. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and while I'm with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. So as a kid growing up, I had many different opportunities for learning patience afforded to me. I was trying to explain to some of my kids the other day just how many opportunities for waiting that I experienced as a child, but it seemed that they didn't have time to listen to that. But growing up, It seemed like every activity, whether it was at school or whether it was at church or even at home, it was always preceded by a lengthy explanation of what we were going to do and how we were going to do it and various warnings about common ways of messing it up and problems to watch out for, all of those sort of things. In my experience, that was the part that was mostly ignored while you just sort of sat there bouncing in place, just waiting to get going. You just wanted to get at it, whether it was making the craft or whatever it was. And then we would plunge into that activity with really no idea about what we were doing. We would soon make every mistake that we had just been warned about not making. And sometimes we would even invent new ways of messing up that would cause our teachers, you know, just to sort of scratch their head. How did you do that? How did you get into this situation? Well, of course, we grow up and we repeat that cycle with our own children. We finally understand a little bit about what our parents and teachers went through. But early on, we are aware that there's a certain tension between learning and doing. Especially as a kid, we just want to do. You know, we come there on the table and spread out all of these materials and we're going to make some craft or build some little thing or something. We just want to get to it. We want to get our hands on that paint and whatever that it is. And there's always that tension between learning the things that we need to know and doing the things that we want to do or need to do. Learning, in fact, oftentimes feels slow. It can feel boring, not too exciting. Sometimes learning can even feel like a waste of time. You know, we could be doing something and taking time to learn and to figure out, maybe even to plan ahead of time feels like such a waste of time and energy. Well, churches obviously have not escaped this sort of tension, nor have churches escaped this pressure to act, this pressure to do that emphasizes or I guess I should say deemphasizes the importance of teaching and learning. But it doesn't mean that doing is unimportant or unnecessary. We must know what we are doing. There's always that tension between learning and doing. This brings us back to the commission. that Jesus gave his churches as we consider what it is that he has commanded us to do. So over the last several messages, we have been considering the commission that Jesus gave his churches for this age, and we've essentially divided this commission into four commands. Go, make disciples, baptize disciples, and then teach disciples. So this authorization and this commission that Jesus gave defines that core purpose and function of his churches in this age. And that fourth command in particular is what we have come to now. And that is the command to teach. And we see it there in verse number 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And then of course the promise that he will be with his churches throughout the rest of this age. Teach those baptized disciples the things that Jesus has commanded now we previously noted that there are actually two different words being used here verse 18 or verse 19 rather says go ye therefore and teach all nations verse 20 says teaching them to observe all things the teach that is in verse number 19 is actually the verb form of the word for disciple. So go and disciple all nations or go and make disciples of all nations. The word that's used in verse number 20, though, is a much more common word for teaching, which means more simply to give instruction in something, to teach as we would think of it. So there are two different words that are used here. Go and make disciples is that command in verse 19 and the command in verse 20 is give instruction to those disciples. So the word for disciple though. also includes the concept of learning. What would sort of set these two words apart as far as the original words in the Greek? What would set these two words apart would be that disciple is more attached to a particular teacher or to a particular system of teaching. So the word for disciple, in other words, is going to refer to a person or to the activities that would involve adhering to a particular teacher, adhering to a particular disciple. And that, of course, was common with the rabbis in that day, and even in the Greco-Roman world, the philosophers, as you had these different schools of philosophy, and these philosophers, and they would have their disciples, we would call them, because they're an adherent of this philosophy or that school of philosophy or whatever. So that would really be one of the main differences that would come about with these words. But of course, the making of disciples means making adherence to Jesus Christ. And the teaching is qualified as teaching to observe all things that Jesus has commanded. So we can see that the two words certainly go together, though they are somewhat different. But the point is that teaching and learning are central to what a church is and what a church does. So churches are commanded to make disciples of all nations who, those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ and are baptized in his name and to continue to follow Jesus Christ by learning his word, guarding it and doing it. So this message, we do want to consider this fourth command. to teach disciples. And to do this we're first going to look at a puzzling passage in the Gospel of Luke and then we're going to learn something that Moses has to teach us about discipleship. So first of all let's go to Luke chapter number 10. Luke chapter number 10 where we see something of this tension between two sisters. Luke chapter number 10 verses 38 to 42. Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, They are careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her." So this passage here in Luke 10 is just a short few verses, and it's kind of tucked into Luke's gospel account, and it actually seems out of place. Luke is the only gospel writer that includes this particular account. It sort of seems like a trivial bit of information as if, you know, I or the teacher would get up before class and just sort of give you a rundown of their morning routine, which had absolutely nothing to do with anything before they began teaching whatever it was they were supposed to teach. It just seems like a sort of trivial bit of information that's given to us here. And when we read Luke's gospel and we think about the events before this and after this little account that's here, we realize that actually in the chronology of Jesus' ministry from all the gospels, this event is actually out of chronological order. So Luke has sort of tucked this in here and it's something that actually happened later than what Luke has it here in this particular chapter. Mary and Martha lived in Bethany, which was just outside of Jerusalem. And though at this point in the Jesus ministry, he is going toward Jerusalem, but he hasn't made it there yet. And he certainly hasn't made it to Bethany yet at this point. And you notice that Luke doesn't mention Bethany by name in this point. He just says a certain village, though that is where they were from. Jesus is not that close to Jerusalem this early in his ministry. So in other words, if you're laying out a timeline of Jesus' ministry and the events of it, this would not come right after what it does in Luke chapter number 10. It would be later on in his journey toward Jerusalem. Now, it's not unusual as you study the Gospels. It's actually one of the things that makes it a little bit difficult to construct this 100% timeline of Jesus ministry is that sometimes in the Gospels they're roughly chronological but sometimes certain events will be out of order so to speak and usually that means that the arrangement of the episodes in the Gospels as they are as they are laid out is thematic in some way rather than strictly chronological. In other words, there's some importance, there's some connection, there's something being taught, the reason why it's put where it is in the account. Now, this little short passage at the end of Luke 10 also comes after probably the most famous parable in the Bible. It's the parable of the Good Samaritan, and that's in Luke chapter 10, verses 25 to 37. Now, of course, the parable of the good Samaritan is the famous parable about action, about good works, about doing something. And the problem in this parable of the good Samaritan, as it is often viewed today, the problem in that parable is it's all the religious people. All those religious people spending all their time with other religious people hearing and talking about things about the law and they wouldn't even help somebody in need. Those are the bad guys in this parable. Well then we get this little episode with Mary and Martha and many people fall immediately into some sort of social commentary and cultural exegesis all about gender distinctions and roles in an oppressive patriarchal society and all that sort of thing with Mary and Martha. And we put the two together then, and then we're going to get this message that what we need is to be always doing and more concerned about these philanthropic and humanitarian type of causes and breaking down these societal barriers that are keeping people back and so on. Now, that's a message that will play well in 10,000 places today. That's a message that's very much what we want to hear in this particular cultural moment that we are living in. But the question is, is that the intended meaning of this passage? Is that the lesson that we are to learn? You see, the Bible is not for us to make whatever we can or will of it. The Bible is something that has been given to us to reveal to us what God has chosen to reveal to us. Just as Jesus said, teach him to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded. So these are his words. So what does this passage mean? Well, in the previous chapter, in Luke chapter number nine, Jesus began his turn toward Jerusalem. So Luke chapter nine, verse 51 reads, and it came to pass when the time was come that he should be received up he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. And so when you do study that timeline of Jesus' ministry, you will note that this is a turning point in that timeline. In other words, in all of the Gospels, there comes a time when Jesus has finished what we usually refer to as the Galilean ministry that was that good middle portion of his ministry and his time on earth. When he has finished that Galilean ministry and he has turned toward Jerusalem now he doesn't go to Jerusalem in a straight line but he has turned toward Jerusalem and everything he's doing is sort of advancing toward Jerusalem and toward his crucifixion and during that particular part of Jesus ministry we notice some things that are different he speaks more openly of his coming death we have the predictions of his coming sufferings And he focuses more on private instruction to his disciples. So in other words, we have fewer public miracles and fewer public teachings of Jesus during this part of his ministry than what we do in the earlier part of his ministry. Now, if you remember, we recently studied in a discipleship series where we went through a part of the Gospel of Mark, and that part that we looked at is the same covers the same part of Jesus' ministry as where we're at here in Luke chapter number 10. So it's a time that Jesus was focusing on teaching his disciples, on preparing them. He drew back from the crowds. We don't see as many interactions. The interactions that he does have with the Pharisees grow openly more hostile and so on. So there are some changes that come about. What I'm saying about this episode with Martha and with Mary is that it is out of place chronologically, but it is in the right section. It's not that far out of place. It is in this section where Jesus has turned toward Jerusalem. He's focusing on discipleship, and that's where we find it. So the passage itself, when we look at it, is rather straightforward. Read it again here, Luke chapter number 10, verses 38 to 42. Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at the feet of Jesus and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful. And Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her. So Mary and Martha, these two sisters, are hosting Jesus and also his apostles, his disciples that are following him. They're hosting Jesus in their house, which meant a lot of hospitality work for them. That was just sort of the nature of things. And so Martha, as we read in this account, is very troubled. In other words, she's all worked up. Some might even say she's in a tizzy, if you're used to that sort of description. She's all worked up about all of this hosting work that she's got to do, having Jesus and his disciples in her house, and no doubt that also would mean some crowds and some people around. So she's got all this busy work to do, and she's all worked up about it. Now, it's easy to imagine her scurrying about the house and possibly muttering under her breath. She's giving some extra energy to when she's within sight of Mary. She's maybe folding things with a little more force just so that Mary can see and hear. And maybe she's even banging some pots and things around just so her sister can hear. Of course, now we don't know what all that she was doing, except we do know that she was exasperated. Alright, she's busy and she's troubled about all this busy work and she's exasperated enough that she actually complains to Jesus and asks him to do something about it. And we see that there in verse number 40. It says, but Martha was cumbered about much serving and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bitter therefore that she help me. So she was frustrated enough that she actually went to Jesus about this problem, asking him to do something about it. What was Mary doing? Well, verse 39 tells us, She had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. So Mary, rather than busying about the house with all of the work to be done, was sitting at Jesus' feet and was listening to him, was hearing his teaching. Of course, sitting at his feet is an idiomatic expression that describes one who is a disciple. If you think about, in fact, in Acts chapter number 22 and verse number 3, Paul described how that he was brought up in Jerusalem and he said they're at the feet of Gamaliel as he was taught the laws and customs of the father, meaning that Gamaliel was his master, his teacher, was his rabbi that he was yoked to in his upbringing. So that's a common expression. Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus. In other words, Mary is being discipled here by Jesus Christ at this time. Luke adds that she was sitting at his feet and hearing his words. So in other words, if he's saying that she's sitting at his feet, the implication is that she is hearing him, she's learning as a disciple, she's being instructed. And then he adds that she's also hearing his words that he's saying. In other words, it's almost a double emphasis, that Mary is sitting, she's calmly sitting, she's listening to what Jesus is teaching her and perhaps even some others that were with her. So Martha came to Jesus to complain about this and to try to get Jesus to say something to her. But he does not rebuke Mary, and in fact, he actually gives some correction toward Martha, though I don't think he intends anything harsh here, but verse 41 and 42, Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her. So Martha was worried and she was distracted by the many things that she had to do in order to serve and she was in danger of missing the point. Jesus, the Lord, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Son of God, the Son of David, the one before whom Abraham was, was I Am. He is in her house. And she's a little more worried at this moment about food. Now, is food important? Is sleeping places and comfort and all this hospitality work, are those things important? Those things are important. And in no way would we read this and think that those things are unimportant, that those things shouldn't be done. But Jesus says, you're distracted. You're worried. You're in danger of missing the point. You have so many things to do. Now, we are told, like in verse 38, for instance, it says, Now, that certainly is a commendation of Martha. She had received Jesus. And it also forms a contrast with those who had rejected and refused him. You go back again into Luke chapter number 9, verses 51 to 53, because his face was as though it would go to Jerusalem. They did not receive Jesus, and Luke adds a reason there. He is set to go toward Jerusalem. In other words, if Jesus had been intending to stay there in the village, it seems that the implication is that they would have received him. In other words, if he was going to do something other than what he was going to do, they would have been happy to receive him, but because he wasn't, Doing what they wanted him to do, they did not receive him. They would not receive him. But in all of her, in all of her busyness and all of her toil, it says Martha did receive him. And she is certainly to be commended for that. But Martha was overlooking what was most essential in that particular moment. And Jesus says that Mary rather has chosen it. She has chosen, as he says, that good part which shall not be taken away from her. Now, the point of this passage and this episode that takes place in Jesus' life, the point is not that we are supposed to live our lives in some sort of quiet, pietistic, monastic sort of contemplation where we're always sitting and humming and meditating on things. or something and we're never doing service that we should do. Well, that's obviously not the point of this passage. But we are learning here that we are not to displace teaching and learning. We're not to displace discipleship by other things as necessary. as those other things may be. In other words, there is a time and a place. We are not to, or I guess I should say, we cannot neglect the doing of those things and be doing, let me restate that. We cannot neglect the learning and the teaching of discipleship and actually be doing what we are commanded to do. Well now think about the parable of the Good Samaritan. So it's the episode immediately before this in Luke's gospel. No doubt you're probably quite familiar with it. So if you think about the parable of the Good Samaritan, It almost seems to present the opposite picture of what we get with Mary and Martha here in their home. So in the parable of the Good Samaritan, the devout are those that passed by on the other side. They're the ones that did not serve while the Samaritan was the man of action. He was the man who cared for the injured man that was left to die. So it seems to emphasize the action and the doing of good works in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Well, the two episodes are actually, one is a parable and one is an event that happened, but they're not as far apart as it might seem that they are. Remember that this parable was given in response to one of the lawyers that had come to Jesus and had challenged him. So let's look here in Luke chapter number 10, back up, beginning at verse number 25. And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? How readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right. This do, and thou shalt live. But he, this is the lawyer, willing to justify himself said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment and wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now, now that's the end of the parable, Jesus is now asking, which now of these three thinkest thou was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he, that being the lawyer that originally asked the question, said, he that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, go and do thou likewise. And then immediately we have this episode with Mary and Martha in Luke's gospel. So this lawyer, we're told, was tempting. Jesus. He was trying to entrap him. This is a hostile encounter. He's trying to find something with which to bring blame on Jesus. And he asked this question of Jesus to start about inheriting eternal life. And what is interesting is that Jesus used the wording very similar to that when he spoke of Mary having chosen the good part or the good portion, something that can indeed be used to refer to an inheritance. She's chosen that good inheritance. Well, the ending of this episode shows that the good Samaritan was the one who had actually understood the law and kept it. Remember, Jesus asked a question when he said, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Verse 26, he said, what is written in the law? How readest thou? In other words, what does the law teach? And of course, he responds by thou shalt love the Lord thy God and so on. And Jesus said, well, you've answered right, so you do that and you'll live. But it says he was willing to justify himself. He was willing to argue with Jesus a little bit to put himself in a better light. In other words, this is a standard that the law teaches that he had not kept. But yet in order to justify himself, he would bring it down. And so you would have all of these rabbinical debates about who actually was my neighbor. Who am I actually responsible? And of course, by the time they're done with it, it would be hardly nobody. Hardly no one was a neighbor that would qualify and would bring a requirement or an obligation upon me to do the sort of thing that Jesus spoke about. He's willing to justify himself. He says, who's my neighbor? What's he wanting to do? He's wanting to argue with the word of God. That's what he's wanting to do. He's wanting to put himself in a better light by adjusting that word that God has given. So what is the key or what is the meaning as we get down to the end of this parable when Jesus is summing it up? Well, the ending of this in verses 36 and 37 shows that the Samaritan, not the priest, not the Levite, the Samaritan was the one who had actually understood the law and kept it by helping this man rather than the priest and the Levite that passed by. And the logger, the one that was questioning Jesus, was among those who was ever learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Learning that word, but never doing it, never keeping it, and rather adjusting it. They were endlessly dissecting and qualifying the law, having all those discussions about who was a neighbor, and they were actually refusing to understand and keep the law. So the parable ends with that admonition, go and do thou likewise. So what is the point that Jesus has just made here? Go and do thou likewise. Well, the point is not to merely do charitable actions. But the point is to hear and obey the Word of God and be a true disciple. What is at stake? What is at stake is eternal life. That's the inheritance that is at stake from the very beginning. So again, it's not just a message about having mercy or compassion, but it is a message about learning, hearing, understanding, obeying the word of God, and doing what he has actually commanded us to do. You see, discipleship can never be divorced from teaching and learning the word of God. Now that brings us to Something that we learn from Moses about discipleship. In a few different messages, we've covered some of the things about preaching and teaching and what's required there and such. And in this message, really we're asking more of what is the priority of that? And so what do we learn about discipleship from Moses? Well, if you go to Deuteronomy chapter number four, and verses one to six. Here's the words of Moses to Israel. Now therefore hearken, O Israel, under the statutes and under the judgments which I teach you for to do them that you may live and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you. You shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish from it that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Belpior. For all the men that followed Belpior, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you. But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day. Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do so in the land whether you go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes and say, surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. So as Moses is explaining to this second generation of Israel, the ones that are actually going to go into the land and to possess it, he says that he has taught them the word of God, his commandments, his statutes. And that word for teach that's used here in this passage is actually, the word in Hebrew is very similar. to the word in the Greek for disciple in the New Testament. Now the word for teach that is used there in Deuteronomy is a word that can be used to speak of goading an animal so that it goes the right way, so that it's staying on the right path. In other words, discipleship as we see in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament is more than just a transfer of information. It's more than just a speaking of high things or high concepts to others. It's more than a transfer of information, but it's not less than that. It does involve the instruction, and Moses is repeatedly bringing them back. I have taught you what God commanded me to teach you, and that is what you are to keep and to do. Moses and what we're seeing here, particularly in Deuteronomy. Moses was the prophet, the original prophet, the prophet only surpassed by the Messiah when he came after him. Moses is where we have the origin of corporate discipleship and teaching. This really doesn't happen prior to this point. Now we begin to see a congregation of people being taught with Moses and Israel in the wilderness before they entered the land. Of course, this will be followed on after the tabernacle and the temple and we have the priests and the prophets and all through the history of Israel and later as they develop the synagogues and all of those things that happen. And even in Jesus' day, you had this public teaching of a congregation people. But the first place we see it is back with Moses and Israel in the wilderness. Churches with pastors and teachers today are downstream from Moses. This is the headwaters of the public proclamation and teaching of the Word of God. We are in line with in what you might say is a line of teachers from Moses to the prophets to the apostles to preachers and teachers today. But there are some key differences. So Moses received revelation. In other words, Moses is writing the Word of God as he is giving it to the people. He received revelation, but we also find references like there in Deuteronomy 4 and in other places where Moses was explaining and applying that Word of God to the people in his day. And so it's that way with the prophets, to the apostles, and so on, even though they would receive revelation at times, they also had the task of teaching what already had been revealed, explaining that to the people. Now that's the vital function that continues. When I say that churches with pastors and teachers are downstream from Moses today. They're not prophets receiving revelation the way that Moses did or even the way that the Apostles did. That revelation has already been given but we are downstream with that vital function being that we are to explain and apply this word that's already been given. But the people were responsible to hear, to hear with understanding, to listen and to obey that word that Moses taught. We could just quickly skip through here in Deuteronomy and see this emphasis. So Deuteronomy 4.1, now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments which I teach you for to do them, that you may live and go in and possess the land which the Lord your God of your fathers giveth you. In verse six, keep therefore and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations. Deuteronomy 4.14, and the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments that you might do them in the land whether you go over to possess it. Deuteronomy 5.1, Moses called all Israel and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day you may learn them and keep and do them." Deuteronomy 5 31. But as for thee stand thou here by me and I will speak unto thee all the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which thou shalt teach them that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it. Deuteronomy 6 1. Now these are the commandments the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God commanded to teach you that you might do them in the land whether you go to possess it. Deuteronomy 7.11, thou shalt therefore keep the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which I command thee this day to do them. Deuteronomy 7.12, wherefore it shall come to pass if you hearken to these judgments and keep and do them that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he swear unto thy fathers. Deuteronomy 8, 19, and it shall be if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God and walk after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. Deuteronomy 11, 22, for if you shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways and to cleave unto him and it goes on and on and on repetitively throughout Deuteronomy. Moses, you'll notice the common thread in everything that he's saying there. I have commanded you everything that the Lord has commanded me to command you. In other words, I have given you the word that God gave me and you are responsible to hear it and to do it. You must learn it and you must do it. You must keep it. In other words, again, this is where we see this origin of discipleship. Now, obviously, We could talk about the fact that we're looking at Moses and the Old Covenant at that time, and we are certainly not under Old Covenant law and such as that. However, we have this same sense of teaching and learning and doing that has come down to us today, beginning with what we see there in Moses. And if we think about this commission that Jesus gave, as we go back there to Matthew chapter number 28, Matthew chapter number 28, verse number 20 says, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. and it's impossible not to hear the echo from the book of Deuteronomy and the teaching and instructing of Moses. In other words, we are under similar command, not to be subjected to the old covenant law, we are under similar command to teach, to hear, to keep, and to do the word of God, what he has commanded us. So the command To teach disciples all things that Jesus has commanded shows us the shape and the scope of this command. Churches today are to preach and to teach the Bible, the Word of God, the 66 books that we have in the Old Testament and the New Testament. That's a priority. to teach this word. What has God said? What did he mean? What is his intended meaning in what he has given us? And how then does that apply to our lives? What is it that God requires of us to do? Believers, on the other hand, are to be discipled, meaning to be taught this word, to be taught all of this word and all that God requires of us to do. Now, we will always experience some tension between doing and learning, but learning is essential. Learning is a priority. Learning is that one thing that Jesus said is needful. Well, the point of the parable of the Good Samaritan is not that we elevate emotional motivation and even compassion over study and learning what God's word teaches. And it's certainly not that we do what God says just by nature through ignorance of his word. In other words, just compassion and mercy. No, these things are informed. Churches in this age are commissioned and authorized to give priority to teaching God's word. But that's not the end, just the teaching of God's word. Again, it's not just a transfer of information. It's teaching that is discipleship, which is also going to mean goading, just as Moses was doing with the children of Israel, that we are being goaded, that we would go in the right way, that we are instructed, that we are corrected, that we are all thoroughly furnished and equipped, as 2 Timothy 3, verse 16 and 17 tells us, that we are informed by knowledge. Not running with a zeal that's not according to knowledge, but an informed discipleship that is doing what Jesus has taught us to do.